What is this plane?

JaceTheAce

Well-Known Member
I was at the San Diego Aerospace Museum and they have this plane that you can hop into and sit in. I don't remember the name of it, but since I was little I used to admire that plane when it flew at air shows (the one I used to see was painted in a Coca-Cola scheme). They are little home-built single seater jets with a single jet opening of about 6 inches in diameter. The prop versions often have Honda car engines in them. The plane is very small - your feet are barely a few inches from the very nose of it. If no-one guesses it I will draw a picture of it, scan it, post it and have you guys tell me what it is...someone on here's gotta know. I figure it'd be a cool personal plane to have.
 
You aren't giving a whole lot of detail. Bede-5j microjet? That is the only one I can think of that fits that description.

Bd-5
 
Umm...not much more than you see there on the website. I know it was featured in a James Bond movie. "Octopussy" I believe. I know the guy who flew it in the movie, still flies his in airshows and it was used as target practice for the military at one point simulating a missile. I have also been told that many people have died in Mr. Bede's designs, but I cannot verify that. I do know that I would love to build one some day.
 
My grandpa was going buy one, but the deal fell through, any questions you have I'll ask him for you because he really wanted one at one point. I do know that with the fuel that a C5 holds that jet could run somthing like 100 years non stop.
 
There's a little airport in the mountains northeast of Bakersfield called Kern Valley. Not only do they have the BEST burgers of any fly-in resturaunt (they're HUGE!), but they have one of the little BEs on a pivot next to the field. It's an unofficial windsock.

Sadly, the Tomahawk I stopped by in was almost as tiny!
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Found some pics. The BD-5 allowed either prop, turbo-prop, or jet engine configurations...in such a tiny aircraft. When I sat in this thing at the San Diego Aerospace Museum, I could barely get in and out of it and I'm only 5'9"/155 lbs. I thought it'd be really fun to fly.

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My old flight instructor is building one in his basement. He is about 63 and has been tinkering with it for the last 20 years. He already has the wings framed out and stuck on. When I asked him how he is going to get it out of his basement (up a narrow staircase), his reply was..."I'm probably gonna die before I finish this beast, so it is gonna be somebody else's problem".
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I guess when Mr. BD went under and "factory" parts and support went out the window, my old flight instructor just let the project fizzle out.

It is a pretty neat little machine though.
 
Back in the early late 70's early 80's they made their way around the airshow circuit as the Sonic MicroJets. They were later purchased by Coors I believe.
 
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